Abstract: Disclosed is a novel spicamycin derivative represented by the formula (I) or a salt thereof: ##STR1## wherein R represents an alkenyl having a given number of carbon atoms, a haloalkyl having a given number of carbon atoms, CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.n CH(OH)-- or CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.n-1 CH(OH)--CH.sub.2 -- (wherein n denotes an integer of 9-13), an alkyl with a certain group and a given number of carbon atoms, ##STR2## (wherein a denotes 2, and b denotes an integer of 10-15), CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.c SO.sub.2 O(CH.sub.2).sub.d --, ##STR3## (wherein c denotes an integer of 0-3 and d denotes an integer of 10-15), (CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si(CH.sub.2).sub.10 --,(CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si--C.tbd.C--(CH.sub.2).sub.8 --, ##STR4## (wherein X represents O or S), and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are different from each other and each represents H or OH, which exhibits an excellent antitumor effect and has a high therapeutic index.

Abstract: A flow passage closing mechanism of a beverage pouring apparatus for supplying the beverage to a dispenser by pushing the beverage in the keg due to the pressure of gas introduced therein. The mechanism includes a first connecting portion to be connected to the keg, a descending tube connected to the first connecting portion, a floating ball movably inserted into the descending tube, a valve seat formed at a lower end portion of the descending tube, a separating mechanism for lifting the floating ball from the valve seat, and a second connecting portion to be connected to the dispenser. When beverage in the keg is used up, the flow passage closing mechanism closes the flow passage of the beverage pouring apparatus by pushing the floating ball to the valve seat. The flowing path is reopened by the separating mechanism.

Abstract: A packing material removal apparatus for removing a packing material from a package including combined articles herein and supplying the combined articles to a next process by a supplying unit, comprises a cutting unit having a suction opening for sucking the packing material to form a slack section, and a cutter for cutting the slack section, a removal unit having a pair of removal rollers which rotate in opposite directions to each other and on which the package cut by the cutting unit is put, and a drop unit having a transferring board, a shutter board for preventing the combined articles from being transferred to the supplying unit and permitting the combined articles to be sent to the supplying unit, an operation device for moving the shutter board upwardly and downwardly with respect to the transferring board, and side boards for supporting both ends of the combined articles on the transferring board.

Abstract: Disclosed are DNA sequences which are useful for the synthesis of carotenoids such as lycopene, .beta.-carotene, zeaxanthin or zeaxanthin-diglucoside, that is, DNA sequences encoding carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes. These DNA sequences are the sequences 1- 6, respectively, shown in the specification.Also disclosed is a process for producing a carotenoid compound which is selected from the group consisting of prephytoene pyrophosphate, phytoene, lycopene, .beta.-carotene, zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin-diglucoside, which comprises transforming a host with at least one of the DNA sequences 1- 6 described above and culturing the transformant.

Abstract: A roller bottle handling system includes a culture rack storage station for storing a plurality of culture racks each for accommodating a plurality of roller bottles each filled with a culture medium and cells, and a mass-handling facility for extracting completed cultures from roller bottles and replacing a culture medium in the roller bottles with a new culture medium. The roller bottle handling system further includes an unloading station for taking out roller bottles from culture racks delivered from the culture rack storage station and delivering the roller bottles to the mass-handling facility, and a loading station for charging roller bottles filled with a culture medium and cells into culture racks. Automatic guided vehicles or overhead traveling cranes are movable to deliver culture racks, one at a time, between the culture rack storage station and the unloading and loading stations.

Abstract: A washing apparatus for a beverage pouring apparatus is disclosed which includes a pouring valve for a dispensing head which is a three way valve. A discharging tube is connected to the three way valve, and a washing liquid is discharged into the discharging tube by changing the three way valve. A washing liquid circuit is formed by connecting a washing liquid return tube to the three way valve. A four way valve is connected to the washing liquid return tube, and the washing liquid can flow in both directions of the circuit by changing the four way valve.

Abstract: The label printing apparatus has a structure including: a label feed means for successively feeding plural labels, each having an information printing area including a heat-sensitive color developing ink layer, to predetermined printing positions; a laser printing device which is provided with a sensor and a light source, said sensor serving to discriminate between presence and absence of the label in the predetermined printing position and to output a label detection signal, said light source serving to release a laser beam, and which receives the label detection signal directly from the sensor, prints information on the label by means of the laser beam when the presence of the label on the predetermined printing position is confirmed by the label detection signal, and outputs a shot signal; and a controller to discriminate whether the output interval between the shot signals is within a given period of time or not and to output an error signal when the output interval between the shot signals is not within

Abstract: The problem of unevenness of bottle temperatures at the entry of slow annealing furnace due to the variation of time periods necessary for respective bottles discharged from an IS bottle manufacturing machine to reach the annealing furnace has been solved by an equalization of the time periods. For this purpose, the bottle discharging order from the IS bottle manufacturing machine is controlled and use is made of two conveyors having different running speeds and/or direction of running. As a result, a precise temperature control in the Hot-End-Coating apparatus provided upstream from the annealing furnace can be carried out owing to the equalized temperatures of bottles entering into the annealing furnace.

Abstract: This invention disclosed herein provides an alcohol acetyl transferase ("AATase"), an AATase encoding gene and a yeast having an improved ester producing ability due to transformation with the AATase encoding gene. This invention also provides a process for producing an alcoholic beverage having an enriched ester flavor using the transformed yeast.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the genetic engineering of higher plants to confer chilling resistance. Provided is a higher plant which contains more unsaturated fatty acids in membrane lipids than are inherent to that plant species, and a process for producing the same. A preferred embodiment of such plant is a transgenic plant expressing a polypeptide with a glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase activity that has a higher substrate selectivity for oleoyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) (oleoyl-ACP) than for palmitoyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) (palmitoyl-ACP). In another aspect, there are provided higher plants with a lowered critical temperature for chilling injury, and a process to produce the same. A preferred embodiment of such plant is a transgenic plant whose phosphatidylglycerol contains reduced amount of saturated molecular species due to the expression of a polypeptide with a glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase activity that has a higher substrate selectivity for oleoyl-ACP than for palmitoyl-ACP.

Abstract: Disclosed are pyridinecarboximidamides having a vasodilating effect (hypotensive activity or antianginal activity), and acid adduct salts thereof. ##STR1## wherein when R.sup.1 represents an alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, carboxyl, amino, acylamino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, aralkylamino, alkylsulfonamide, bisalkylsulfonylamino or hydroxyl group, R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom and R.sup.3 represents a nitroxyl, 2-chlorophenyl or phenyl group; andwhen R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, R.sup.2 represents an alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, carboxyl, amino, acylamino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, aralkylamino, alkylsulfonamide, bisalkylsulfonylamino or hydroxyl group and R.sup.3 represents a nitroxyl, 2-chlorophenyl or phenyl group.There is also disclosed the use of the compounds represented by the formula (I) for antihypertensive or antianginal purpose.

Abstract: A can top end includes a disc-shaped panel having a disc-shaped flat section an outer periphery to be engaged with an upper end of a can body, and a stay-on type tab attached on the flat section of the panel. The disk-shaped flat section has a primary score to define a primary scored portion surrounded by the primary score and the flat section further includes a secondary score to define a secondary scored portion surrounded by the secondary score. The tab has a connecting portion rotatably connected to a center portion of the flat section around an axis perpendicular to the flat section and the tab has both a pull-up end and a push-down end. The primary scored portion is located below the push-down end of the tab to enable the primary scored portion to be opened by pulling up the pull-up end of the tab.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for producing a plant having resistance against RNA viruses by integrating a DNA sequence, which encodes a protein having an enzyme activity specifically breaking down a double-strand RNA, into a chromosome of a plant and making the DNA sequence express in the plant cells; and a plant having resistance against RNA viruses obtained according to the above method.A plant according to the present invention has resistance against plural RNA viruses.

Abstract: Spicamycin derivative represented by the formula (I) or a salt thereof: ##STR1## wherein R represents specific diverse substituents, for example, a linear alkadienyl having from 11 to 13 carbon atoms, and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 respectively represent H or OH. Examples of specific compounds are 6-[4'-N-(N'-trans,trans 2,4-tridecadienoylglycyl)spicaminyl-amino]purine, and 6-[4'-N-(N'-trans,trans-2,4 dodecadienyoly glycyl) spicaminyl-amino]purine. Comopunds according to this invention are useful as a pharmaceutical for inhibition of a tumor, for example, human colon cancer.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are dietary lipid digestion-absorption inhibitory agents and ingesta, comprising as an active ingredient a mixture of chitosan and ascorbic acid or a salt thereof. Also disclosed is a therapeutic method for obesity, which comprises administering an effective amount of a mixture of chitosan and ascorbic acid or salt thereof to a person who requires treatment for obesity.

Abstract: Disclosed are DNA sequences which are useful for the synthesis of carotenoids such as lycopene, .beta.-carotene, zeaxanthin or zeaxanthin-diglucoside, that is, DNA sequences encoding carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes. These DNA sequences are the sequences 1-6 shown in the specification.Also disclosed is a process for producing a carotenoid or a carotenoid related compound which is selected from the group consisting of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, phytoene, lycopene, .beta.-carotene, zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin-diglucoside, which comprises transforming a host with at least one of the DNA sequences 1-6 described above and culturing the transformant.

Abstract: A non-destructive laser marking method including irradiating laser light on a thermosensitive color-forming layer formed by printing with a printing ink containing a leuco dye as a color former and an acidic substance as a color developer, and at least one background color formation inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a water-soluble amino acid, an ammonium salt of an inorganic acid, a pH buffer, and water. Laser marking can be achieved with low energy and at high speed while minimizing background color formation to provide a high-contrast color image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing plantlets using plant tissue culture techniques. The object of the invention is to provide a process which enables simple, highly reproducible and efficient production of seedlings in a large scale. The feature of the invention comprises culturing a root as an explant in a liquid medium containing at least inorganic salts, a carbon source and an auxin to induce the formation of a cell mass, and culturing the resultant cell mass in a redifferentiation medium containing at least inorganic salts and a carbon source, to produce plantlets.

Abstract: The problem of unevenness of bottle temperatures at the entry of slow annealing furnace due to the variation of time periods necessary for respective bottles discharged from an IS bottle manufacturing machine to reach the annealing furnace has been solved by an equalization of said time periods. For this purpose, the bottle discharging order from the IS bottle manufacturing machine is controlled and use is made of two conveyors having different running speeds and/or direction of running. As a result, a precise temperature control in the Hot-End-Coating apparatus provided upstream from the annealing furnace can be carried out owing to the equalized temperatures of bottles entering into the annealing furnace.

Abstract: A method is provided for inducing rice callus having embryogenic potency by culturing a rice explant in a liquid medium containing at least inorganic salts, a carbon source, one or more auxins and an osmotic regulator, and for proliferating the callus obtained by subculturing in a similar medium. This method enables the clonal proliferation of rice, so that the invention is useful for the industrial large-scale production of seedlings of all cultivars of rice including non-true bred cultivars and non-true bred lines.